Echoing the Church's theme for World Youth Day in 2011, we are pleased to announce that this years theme is: Rooted. We live in a culture that easily seeks identity in the things of this world, which are sending us messages of appealing false, half-truths and counterfeits that seem to promise joy in this life. With this year's theme, Rooted, we will emphasize that true identity is in Christ. To authentically live the abundant life that God calls us to, it is very important to remain “rooted and built up in Him” as a daily journey of receiving God’s Truth. The image of roots denotes strength, stability, and growth. The Sacraments and prayer are a living and effective source of strengthening our roots for the Christian journey ahead.

Farmers know that plants need deep roots in order to grow - so that eventually they can reap an abundant harvest. Now that this conference has helped you to establish deeper roots, we want to point you to a ministry that can help to nurture your faith even more. Countless teens have found the resources of the REAP Team of the Archdiocese of St. Louis very helpful as they strive to grow in faith.

Just this weekend, the REAP Team received this powerful email from one of the students attending this conference. Jacqueline wrote:

I found your website because I was following @steubystl on twitter, and I have to say I'm SO glad I did! I pretty much just downloaded half of your podcasts, and I'm so happy it's summer because that means I have time to listen to and meditate on all of them! Thank you so much for creating this website. It's too awesome :)

Fr. Chris Martin, Director of the Vocations Office for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, offers some practical advice to young men who came forward - as an expression of their desire to discern the possibility of a call to the priesthood.

One of our favorite pictures from Mass today; perhaps we could call it "God's Point of View". Notice the priests sitting, religious sister standing, the crowd with hands extended/praying, and the girls standing in front of the stage - they had all come forward in response to a call to consider serving the Lord in religious life. You can see the original pic in various sizes here.

Paul George opened up his talk this morning by talking about his fatherly love for his children. He shared how special his four kids are to him - how beautiful his daughters are, and how strong his son is.

And yet, even with the love that he has for his children, he knows that God’s love for us is so much stronger.

Here are the lyrics to a song written by Jon Foreman (the lead singer of Switchfoot) that Adam Bitter and the band played this morning:

“The kingdom of the heavens is now advancing. Invade my heart, invade this broken town. The kingdom of the heavens, is buried treasure, will you sell yourself to buy the one you've found? Two things you told me, that you are strong, and you love me, yes you love me.”

Of course, of course. We all know that God's grace, received most tangibly in the Eucharist, is the ultimate source of our strength.

But St. Thomas Aquinas clearly proclaimed that "grace builds upon nature" and many of us who labor tirelessly to make this conference happen are...tired.

Starbucks coffee has been a huge blessing in the lives of many of the conference team members, staff members, and volunteers. Just sayin'!

If you are a teen, or a parent of a teen, meditate on this truth - chances are your youth minister/group leader/favorite musician has a favorite beverage. What better way to show them love & express your appreciation than to buy them a Starbucks gift card (or a gift card to one of their favorite places). It's all about love. And gratitude. And sometimes, it's a lot about caffeine.

Tonight Bishop Rice led teens in a beautiful prayer of commitment to Christ. For many in attendance, this was the first time they ever stood up for Christ & made the decision to give their lives completely to Him. Here is the prayer, which we encourage you to pray in union with all of the teens who prayed it tonight; keep them in your prayers, OK?

Lord God, you have given us your Son Jesus – the Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Angels, the Bread of Life. The desire for you is written on our hearts. We have been created by you. Our greatest happiness is to be in union with you. Jesus, you alone fulfill the deepest desires of our hearts.

To show the depths of your love you took bread: This is my Body.
To show the depths of your love you took wine: This is my Blood.Read more »

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament tonight was powerful, peaceful, and joyful. Many teens have told us that the Saturday night Steubenville youth conference experience is one of the most powerful experiences of their lives; a point of reference where they come to KNOW the love and power of Jesus for the first time – or in a much more personal way. Bishop Rice brought Jesus to the teens in a Eucharistic procession. A brief video can be viewed here

Tonight we played "YouCat Jeopardy'! Luke from St. Louis, Brian from Mississippi, & Amy from O'Fallon Missouri all played - and all were winners! Just for playing, they each received a free copy of YouCat - the youth catechism of the Catholic Church. Find out more about YouCat & see the book trailer here

This morning, Damen Owens shared some words of wisdom with first-time conference participants.

Often, the spectacle of seeing 3,000 other teenagers worshiping God can confuse and shock a newcomer. Damen mentioned that it’s normal to simply “not know how to act.” He threw out the following thoughts for first-time conference attendees:

He reminded teens not to let the fear of unknowing be a distraction from becoming rooted in Christ this weekend. He mentioned that conferences like this provoke a lot of teens to wonder why we do what we do as Catholics. He told them that it's OK to ask why; and that when we do, God will always provide an answer which will make us free.

He later reminded teens that even when we don’t understand, we can follow the Church, who will sustain us until we do understand. He described the Church as a deposit – a big bank of truth. Read more »